‘The Natural’ With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin
March 19, 2019 · The Natural (1984) · Drama · Sport · 1:47:00 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes: Hobbs vs the Whammer, Hobbs' first batting practice when they let him hit, and Hobbs' first at bat where he tears the cover off the ball▶ 31:07
Mallory RubinAgrees with the batting practice scene, praising it for three reasons: the spectacle, characters having same experience as viewers, and revealing Roy's entitled personality▶ 34:02
Picking Nits
Bill SimmonsHobbs' homer breaks the clock at Wrigley Field, which unfortunately, the clock didn't exist until two years later▶ 38:08
Mallory RubinRoy is still capable of pitching despite having a bullet in his side - questions whether it's just about pain tolerance▶ 37:37
Joey Pants Award
Bill SimmonsKim Basinger — Kim Basinger - agreed with SPEAKER_01's suggestion, citing the scene where she tries to shoot Roy as having bad acting▶ 1:19:09
Mallory RubinKim Basinger — Kim Basinger for her deliberately over-the-top performance as Memo, also mentioned Prosky (the judge) as very over-the-top▶ 1:18:15
Best Quote
Mallory RubinMultiple quotes including 'The only thing I know about the dark is you can't see in it', Red's 'tough' response, and various Pop Fisher lines▶ 1:28:21
Who Won the Movie
Mallory RubinWilford Brimley — Makes a case for Pop as the heart of the film and most winning performance, but acknowledges Redford is iconic though not in it enough▶ 1:45:43
Movies Referenced (28)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field of Dreams (1989) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | ▶ 4:46 |
| Moneyball (2011) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | ▶ 4:49 |
| All the President's Men (1976) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | ▶ 1:16:50 |
| Bolt (2008) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | ▶ 14:39 |
| Rookie of the Year (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | ▶ 26:38 |
| The Judge (2014) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons | ▶ 14:45 |
| For Love of the Game (1999) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 26:02 |
| Identity (2003) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Mallory Rubin | ▶ 1:24:19 |
| Rain Man (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:16:42 |
| Angels in the Outfield (1994) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Mallory Rubin | ▶ 26:38 |
| Downfall (2004) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Mallory Rubin | ▶ 56:12 |
| Good Time (2017) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Mallory Rubin | ▶ 28:04 |
Directors Referenced (3)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Levinson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Mallory Rubin | Rain Man, Wag the Dog | ▶ 9:47 |
| Adam Davidson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:14:51 | |
| Chris Columbus | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Help | ▶ 41:20 |
Actors Referenced (43)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Redford | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 20 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | The Natural, Ordinary People, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | ▶ 1:13 |
| Wilford Brimley | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | The Natural | ▶ 1:46 |
| Babe Ruth | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | ▶ 13:11 | |
| Kim Basinger | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | L.A. Confidential, Batman | ▶ 1:45 |
| Darren McGavin | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | A Christmas Story, Billy Madison | ▶ 1:04:45 |
| Glenn Close | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | Fatal Attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy | ▶ 1:43 |
| Barry Bonds | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons | Rookie of the Year | ▶ 6:04 |
| Michael Madsen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons | The Hateful Eight, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Species | ▶ 45:46 |
| The Game | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | Street Kings, The A-Team, Coach Carter | ▶ 2:03 |
| Harrison Ford | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons | Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive | ▶ 28:27 |
| Joe Don Baker | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | GoldenEye, Cape Fear | ▶ 31:25 |
| Robert Prosky | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin | Thief, Broadcast News, Mrs. Doubtfire | ▶ 45:46 |
Writers Referenced (6)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernard Malamud | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Natural | ▶ 13:28 |
| Damien Chazelle | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Whiplash, La La Land, First Man | ▶ 59:30 |
| Jackie Files | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:05:42 | |
| Philip Roth | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Mallory Rubin | ▶ 19:46 | |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 18:14 | |
| Roger Towne | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Mallory Rubin | The Natural | ▶ 1:16:30 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Bauman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | One Battle After Another, Iron Man, The Island | ▶ 1:00 |